Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. and D. You should decide on the best choice.

Passage 2

Psychologists have found that privately made confidential resolutions are rarely followed, whereas a public commitment to achieve some goal, such as losing weight or giving up smoking is likely to be much more effective. This is because the approval of others for doing something desirable is valued. In contrast, disapproval for failure can lead to feelings of shame.

Advertising agencies have designed studies bearing out the truth of this observation. In this research, a group of strangers was bombarded with information about the qualities of a particular product. They were then asked to either announce out loud or write down privately whether they intended to buy the product. It was later discovered that those who publicly declared their intention to buy were considerably more likely to do so than those who affirmed their intentions in private.

In another study, an experimenter claiming to represent a local utility company interviewed house owners telling them he was investigating ways in which energy consumption could be reduced. Half the subjects, randomly selected, were told that if they agreed to conserve energy their names would be mentioned in an article published in the local newspaper; the remaining half were told their names would not be used. All those interviewed agreed to cooperate and signed a form either giving consent for their names to be used or stating that their names would not be used. Later in the year, the amount of gas consumed in each house was recorded. The owners who had agreed to their names being published had used significantly less gas than those who remained anonymous.